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March 16, 2007

Nancy Pearcey's lecture at Elmhurst College last evening was attended by 350-400 people from the community and the college, many representing evangelical churches in the area. The audience was obviously charged by what she had to say about how dualism has impacted the way people in our culture think today. Very effectively she taught about the fact/value split that the is at the heart of incoherent worldviews.

March 14, 2007

Apparently it doesn't matter what you think about abortion, this company will probably have a card for how you feel about it anyway.

"Women having abortions are calling our line because often they don't have someone to talk to -- it's a stigmatized issue," said Aspen Baker, founder and executive director of Oakland-based Exhale. "So the chance to honor and acknowledge someone's experience by calling upon something that is within our social practices and social mores seemed important and could go a long way toward supporting people."

Apparently the cards are now available as e-cards, and are available to help people show "sympathy and support" for those who have had an abortion.

"We designed them to deal with different peoples' response to abortion. Not everyone is grieving their loss. Not everyone has a relationship with God. Not everyone thinks it is the best thing," she said. "We hope the people who send them take the time to think not only about the message they want to send, but about what is best for the person receiving it and what they need to hear."

March 13, 2007

Nancy Pearcey's lecture on the campus of Elmhurst College is bound to be quite an event. The mostly liberal environment will undoubtedly be challenged by her conservative, evangelical worldview. So I invite you to join me for what I expect will be an energetic, standing-room only event. I've been to other conservative lectures at Elmhurst and I believe this one will stand out very prominently on campus and in the community. The lecture will be on Thursday, March 15th at 7:30 pm in Hammerschmidt Chapel on campus. Elmhurst is located in the western suburbs of the greater Chicago area.

Be sure to read Flash Point if you are not able to attend, I'll be sure to let you know how it goes! If you do attend, look for me....I should be easy to spot in the black jacket, green shirt and red hair!

In a recent interview with David Kuo of Beliefnet, democratic presidential candidate John Edwards spoke openly about his views of Jesus, Christianity, and his own faith. He shared about his Southern Baptist background and his drifting away from God later in life. Edwards also recounted how trials in his life including his wife Elizabeth’s bout with cancer altered the nature of his faith, how his “faith came roaring back” to him as the title of the article denotes. A deacon’s son who was baptized in the church, Edwards’ experience does not sound all that different from that of many Christians.

What I was most fascinated by in this interview was not so much that he tried to talk the talk of evangelical faith, but that he conceded an important element to the church/state debate. Reminded of how John Kerry said in 2004 that he would not allow his faith to affect his decisions, Edwards was asked if faith affects his decisions. His response is quite unexpected.

“Yes, it does.”

I’m not sure he understands the impact of this response, but it is truly the most intellectually honest position to take because no one is able to make decisions outside or independent of what they believe, i.e. their worldview. Actions that seek to sanitize the public square from elements of faith are an expression of a certain set of beliefs about God, faith, life, reality, etc., that are disguised as secular, the so-called “neutral” position. But there is no possibility for neutrality; our actions are an outward manifestation of the beliefs we hold dear.

Edwards continues, “My faith informs everything I think and do. It's part of my value system. And to suggest that I can somehow separate and divorce that from the rest of me is not possible.” We can agree with Edwards about this, but don’t get too excited about his words because they are empty, and perhaps they then provide better insight into his worldview. Edwards backpedals. He continues saying that he “would not, under any circumstances, try to impose my personal faith and belief on the rest of the country. I don't think that's right. I don't think that's appropriate.”

Christians are consistently accused of trying to impose their beliefs on others in seeking to establish and protect certain values in our society. Edwards states clearly that his own faith informs his decisions, that they cannot be divorced from each other. So as he continues to support a woman’s right to have an abortion and promotes embryo-destructive research, you can be sure that these decisions are a clear expression of the worldview from which he cannot divorce himself and an imposition of his “faith” on the faithful.

March 12, 2007

I'm so thankful and pleased to announce that I am now a contributing writer on Sharon Hughes' website, WOMANTalk. This website includes several women writers who each contribute their thoughts and ideas on today's cultural issues. Be sure to check it out and support Sharon's ministry in whatever way you can.

This week, friend Nancy Pearcey will be speaking at Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, IL. I hope you'll join me for this event! Contact me directly at sarahflashing@gmail.com if you have any questions. See the following:

Elmhurst College invites you to a special lecture by Nancy Pearcey, senior fellow at the Discovery Institute for intelligent design and author of the award-winning book Total Truth (Crossway Books). She will present "Total Truth: A Christian Worldview's Challenge to Higher Education." The lecture will be on Thursday, March 15th at 7:30 pm in Hammerschmidt Chapel on campus. Elmhurst is located in the western suburbs of the greater Chicago area. A map of the college and directions are available at our website: http://public.elmhurst.edu/.